When Can We Go to the Lab Again?
Instructional Strategies Using Technology Transform Achievement and Attitudes of Learning 
By Christopher Birch
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<P><H1>When Can We Go to the Lab Again?</H1>
<P>By Christopher Birch
<P>Let's face it: technology is everywhere--our homes, our lives, and our schools. But as the accountability dilemma for teachers continues, more and more teachers are discouraged from using technology in their classrooms, regardless of its benefits. As a result, students are forced to rote memorization and "killed with the drill" of standardized testing. Some of the students who struggle with traditional instructional practices in school and even receive special services have been in front of a computer their whole lives--they spend hours a day playing online video games, using instant messages, editing video projects, and browsing the Internet. Educators can take advantage of their own and their students' understanding of computers to create meaningful and appropriate practices, such as multimedia presentations in science and Internet translation programs in foreign language classes. 
<P>Regardless of their obstacles and issues, digital technologies that are employed effectively and shared with other professionals produce motivated and engaged learners, despite students' abilities and attitudes.
<P><B>The Fears and Concerns of Technology</B>
<P>Educators today face several challenges when using computers and other technology in the classroom. Typically, the more experienced the educator, the less likely he or she is to apply technology components in their lessons. Why? The biggest impediment is the apprehension of losing important aspects of the curriculum. In a 2003 study, Cooperman and Cunningham suggested otherwise:
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="margin-right: 20px"><P>Many teachers feel that they do not have the time to integrate technology into their literacy instruction. But Leu (2002) argues that using technology to teach literacy does not have to be in addition to regular instructionand does not need to be taught at the expense of other instruction. (p. 4)</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>Another concern is the overwhelming role of high-stakes testing and student achievement. Instructors do not feel compelled to integrate technology because they believe it does not help student achievement. However, Karchmer (2001) observes that several scholars see not only a positive effect on achievement but also more active learning taking place. 
<P>Other issues facing educators are the fear of not understanding the technology and of some students knowing more than their teachers do about the software. But it can be exciting to have students instruct us on the intricacies of computer programs. For example, when I began teaching at St. Charles (MO) West High School eight years ago, I knew very little about PowerPoint and had never used it, but when I took my advanced composition students to the computer lab to begin creating presentations of their research papers, most relied on their previous learning experiences, and several taught both me and their "green" classmates various shortcuts and options. The class was engaging for everyone--the "expert" learners who may have found the initial activity monotonous were interacting with their inexperienced cohorts while completing their projects, and I was fascinated by what I had learned and how each student individualized their presentations with the multitude of choices. 
<P>Despite the fears of educators, technology plays a significant role in our pedagogy. As our schools make the transition to the digital age, federal initiatives, state curricula, and district and local administrators are increasingly encouraging staff members to integrate computers and other media. Selfe (1999) expressed this sentiment a little more bluntly: "Technology has become part of our responsibility, whether we like it or not" (p. 5).
<P><B>Effective Digital Strategies That Motivate and Engage Every Learner</B>
<P>Learning activities that utilize technologies exist for all types of students and learning environments. These practices are changing the way we teach our content and our students. For instance, many teachers encourage their students to draft essays using computers, either in the school's computer lab or at home. It makes evaluation a little easier, and it is more motivational to students, especially those who are more at risk. For example, one student in my 2008 American Literature summer school class at Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, MO, noted that working in the computer lab to write was better because "time goes by faster--in classrooms there are more distractions from other classmates." Another agreed, saying that "it's simply more interesting." In addition, when given the option of drafting on paper or on the computer, roughly 80% of my students chose the adjacent lab and those who did so created drafts that had much more depth and elaboration. Cook, Goldberg, & Russell (2003) noted similar results in their study, concluding that positive changes in students' writing occur when they use a word processor.
<P>Integrating images and writing using digital technology is another creative and engaging activity. Johnson (2005) tells us that "working with images is arguably where technology has the greatest potential impact on learning, andkids love using them" (p.45). In summer school at Howell, students used various printed texts, the Internet, and a Disney motion picture to produce a PowerPoint presentation that summarized the 12 labors of Hercules. Each summary slide incorporated an image from the stock of clip art found in the software or from the Internet. The focus of the students while working in the lab and the consistently impressive finished products demonstrated that technology can indeed encourage any student, even those not accustomed to success. Moreover, this activity echoed the way digital technologies are gradually becoming a part of the way we teach writing. Specifically, students are acquiring what Yancey (2004) refers to as <I>textured literacy</I>--"the ability to comfortably use and combine print, spoken, visual, and digital processes in composing a piece of writing" (p. 38). 
<P>The Internet can be a sufficient alternative to traditional printed texts. For example, I have students peruse various Web sites that correspond to a given unit of study--for example, mythology, Shakespeare, or the Salem witch trials. I gather links for effective sites that enhance the unit, and for each online resource, students respond to questions that I develop and place in a file in our district server. Those prompts are also purposefully phrased to simulate the same type of constructed response questions that are on the statewide assessment. Students work independently at computers, using both the Internet and word processing software in a "split screen" format to prepare their responses. They are fully engaged and enthusiastic about completing the assignment. Invariably, all of them do exceedingly well on this activity regardless of ability (the average score is 90%), which indicates that it may not only adequately prepare them for standardized testing but also enable them to apply skills that are normally not tapped in traditional learning experiences. Rose, Meyer, Strangman, and Rappolt (2002) illustrated this point further:
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="margin-right: 20px"><P>New technologies offer us the opportunity to respond to the multifaceted individual differences in our student population by providing more varied media, tools, and methods. Because of their inherent flexibility, digital technologies can adjust to learner differences, enabling teachers todraw upon a student's other strengths and interests that may be blocked by the exclusive use of printed text. (p. 4)</BLOCKQUOTE>
<P>Educators may also incorporate technology as a means of alternative assessment. In composition classes, for instance, students traditionally create a culminating portfolio of all their previous work with new revisions and corrections. However, by hyperlinking computer files to one another, students can create digital portfolios that contain all of their work and an instructor can interact with all of it simultaneously. Students are not only eager to use this type of digital technology but also understand its application to the modern working world (Birch, 2005). 
<P><B>The Importance of Collaboration</B>
<P>Many professionals are effectively integrating digital technologies in schools; however, it is imperative that those instructors establish a partnership with others in their learning communities. Students need the cooperation of their teachers, especially to avoid repetition and redundancy. Just as learning new technology skills can be exciting for students, overuse of programs across the curriculum often results in boredom and apathy. By communicating with colleagues and modifying digital projects so that students are consistently learning diverse and relevant uses of technology, educators can avoid these situations. 
<P>Teachers also need encouragement to share the horror stories as well as the successful ones. Systems crash, printers and servers go down, students need more time on computers to finish--these are just a few typical obstacles that must be overcome. Working collaboratively on potential solutions is as important as sharing success. Karchmer (2001) summed it up: "lessons learned must be shared so that there are advances in knowledge of where new technologies will lead" (p. 464).
<P><B>Toward an Achievable End</B>
<P>Digital technologies have the power to positively change students' attitudes about learning through engaging and meaningful activities that reflect and are a part of the curriculum instead of a separate or additional component. In addition, computer software can be successfully integrated to transform instruction and improve achievement in an effective manner. Through a shared professional vision, educators at all levels can break free from their fears and empower all students with the skills they will need in the information age.
<P><B>References</B>
<P>Birch, C. (2005). Hyperlinks help students rethink language arts. <I>Curriculum Technology Quarterly, 15</I>(1), 3-6.
<P>Cook, A., Goldberg, A., & Russell, M., (2003). The effect of computers on student writing: A meta-analysis of studies from 1992 to 2002. <I>The Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment, 2</I>(1), 1-51.
<P>Cooperman, N., & Cunningham, A. (2003, May). Balanced literacy and technology. <I>Teaching Matters, Inc.</I> Retrieved June 27, 2005 from www.teachingmatters.org/articles/literacy/whitepaper.pdf  
<P>Johnson, D. (2005, January). Low-hanging fruit. <I>Teacher Magazine, 45.</I>
<P>Karchmer, R. (2001). The journey ahead: Thirteen teachers report how the Internet influences literacy and literacy instruction in their K-12 classrooms. <I>Reading Research Quarterly, 36</I>(4), 442-470.
<P>Rose, D., Meyer, A., Strangman, N., & Rappolt, G. (2002). Education in the digital age. In <I>Teaching every student in the digital age: Univeral design for learning</I> (chap. 1). Retrieved June 27, 2005, from http://www.ascd.org/portal/site/ascd/index.jsp 
<P>Selfe, C. (1999). <I>Technology and literacy in the twenty-first century: The importance of paying attention.</I> Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press.
<P>Yancey, K. B. (2004). Using multiple technologies to teach writing: New digital technologies play a major role in teaching writing for the 21st century. <I>Educational Leadership, 62</I>(2), 38-40.
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<P><B>Christopher Birch</B> <I>(<a href="mailto:christopher.birch@fhsdschools.org">christopher.birch@fhsdschools.org</a>) is currently the dean of students at Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, Missouri. He has been in public education for 12 years as an English teacher and administrator. He is also currently an adjunct professor at Lindenwood University.
